While it’s not as sad as reporting on restaurant closures, it can be a bit of a bummer when businesses have to pull up stakes and move to new locations. Nashvillians tend to get a little mournful about these things unless they’ve lived here long enough to remember that places that seem like longtime neighborhood fixtures actually moved around town a few times before settling where they are.
Bemoaning the closure of the Gerst Haus? If you only experienced its final iteration (where they mimicked the patina of years of cigarette smoke by painting the ceiling pale yellow to match the original two locations), you missed out. Can’t picture the neighborhood behind the Rock Block without Jimmy Kelly’s serving steaks in what feels like a cozy mansion, if such a thing is possible? Would you believe Otis, the Trumpet Man, used to toot his horn in the spot where the Taco Bell is on Harding next to Ascension St. Thomas West (which was just plain St. Thomas) when I was growing up? Prior to that, Jimmy Kelly’s was in the middle of downtown. Yazoo and Jackalope have both moved from their smaller locations in the Gulch to new facilities in neighborhoods further from the urban core, much to the chagrin of those of us who don’t like to drink and drive (far).
So maybe we’d better learn to accept that leases expire, landlords change plans and restaurant, bar and brewery owners sometimes need to move to new locales. Southern Grist Brewing has already made one big move in the brewery’s relatively short life, adding a larger new brewing and tasting facility to its cozy original home on Porter Road in East Nashville.
Now the time has come for them to officially leave the nest and move into bigger digs. Fortunately, they’re only going about a mile-and-a-half to Cleveland Park at 754 Douglas Ave. But for their fans who have become used to treating the comfy taproom as an extension of their own living rooms, there might be some hits to the feels.
The new facility will be twice as big as the Porter Road original, which will allow Southern Grist to expand its food offerings, offer more indoor seating plus two outdoor patios and better parking, since finding a spot near their headquarters can be a contact sport at times.
But fear not, because they’re not leaving the neighborhood without throwing one last party! Friday through Sunday, Oct. 22 to 24, Southern Grist is shutting down the parking lot and moving the fest outside for a celebration of what they’ve accomplished in their time on Porter. Expect tappings of special releases, new bottled and canned beers, guest bartenders, swag giveaways, special-edition merch for purch and a sneak peek at what culinary additions they have planned for Cleveland Park. Keep an eye on Southern Grist’s website and socials for specific event schedules as they develop.
This next bit of news hurts a little bit more. Bites readers may know that I’m a big fan of The Gambling Stick, a trailer barbecue operation that has set up camp in the parking lot of Porter Road Butcher at 501 Gallatin in East Nashville. Heck, I even named them the best barbecue in Nashville one year, a move that led a lot of people to ask "Who?” (At least Scene readers don’t vote for Whitt’s anymore like they did for 18 years in a row, bless their hearts.)
After seven years of serving up some truly innovative ‘cue, The Gambling Stick’s owner Matt Russo is rolling up his canvas tent and moving to his hometown of Louisville. With the chance to open as a brick-and-mortar operation instead of working out of a trailer and serving customers in a tent or in their cars, Russo couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
The good news is that The Gambling Stick will continue to serve its smoky goodness through the middle of next month, with Nov. 13 planned for their final local service. If you need one last fix or two of pigsket and those amazing burnt-end baked beans, The Gambling Stick will be serving from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Porter Road Butcher on Wednesdays through Sundays and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. at Game Terminal at 210 Terminal Court. The only exception to this schedule will be on Saturday, Oct. 30, when they’ll be feeding folks at Spooky Ghoul Fest II at record shop The Groove, 1103 Calvin Ave.
I wonder how much barbecue I can eat in three weeks without turning my blood type to popcorn butter.
